How we chose
We started from the twenty-two garage door firms Google Maps shows across Telford and its neighbours. Scheme memberships were sourced from the trade registers, each firm's own website and platforms such as Checkatrade [3] [4]. Each business must first meet our basic checks: it is who it says it is, it is trading today and can be reached, and anything it must hold by law is in place — garage door fitting carries no statutory licence, so this check turns on identity and reachability. Ten firms met all three. We looked first at what customers say — the star rating itself, since beyond a small handful of reviews volume adds nothing — then proof of competence, then trading history and stated cover, then pricing clarity and website detail. All evidence is dated 4 September 2026.
How to hire
Match the firm to the job first. A garage door installer supplies and fits complete doors — up-and-over, roller, sectional or side-hinged — while many also repair springs, cables and motors, or fit a motor to the door you already have. Roller and sectional doors travel straight up inside the garage and suit short driveways, since an up-and-over panel swings out as it opens. Say if the garage joins the house or doubles as a workshop, since insulation then matters more. When you enquire, give the opening width, the door type and what has failed.
Garage door fitting has no statutory register, so your checks run on memberships you can look up. Search the Door and Hardware Federation member search for the business name [1] [3], check findacraftsman.com for Guild of Master Craftsmen members [8], and look it up on the TrustMark register and Checkatrade [9] [4]. Ask what any claimed approval covers, and confirm the name on it matches the business you are hiring. Also search the name at Companies House to confirm a limited firm is live [10].
If your door opens at the push of a button, the paperwork matters most. A powered garage door must arrive with a Declaration of Conformity under the machinery safety rules and a Declaration of Performance under the construction products rules, plus a CE or UKCA label and a user manual — ask for all four before you pay [2]. The installer should also assess your setting — a door opening onto a public path, who uses it, what extra safety devices the spot needs — since minimum compliance alone does not make every fitting safe [2]. If the survey asks no safety questions, treat that as your answer about the firm.
Get two or three itemised written quotes on the same written scope, separating the door, labour, electrics and VAT, since TrustMark advises comparing three quotes before starting work [9]. Each quote should name the door type and manufacturer, finish and insulation, start date, removal of the old door and rubbish, and payment stages — a deposit for ordered parts is normal, while full payment before completion is not. Most firms in this round offer free surveys or quotes, so a firm that charges just to look should explain what the fee covers.
Expect a proper survey before any fixed price: the opening measured, the lintel and frame checked for rot or movement, headroom confirmed for roller and sectional tracks, and the swing path checked for up-and-over panels. A powered door needs a nearby power supply, and any new wiring belongs with a competent electrician and the right certificate for the work — agree who provides that before fitting day. Clear the garage and driveway for the visit, and ask how long you will be without the garage.
On completion, test the door yourself: it should travel smoothly, sit level when closed and reverse on obstruction if powered, with a manual release you can work in a power cut. Take the manuals, both declarations and the guarantee terms in writing with the quote and invoice — you will need them for warranty claims and when you sell [11]. Agree a service interval too, since springs, cables and rollers wear and a yearly check keeps a heavy moving door safe. If anything feels rushed or uncertified, pause the job and ask for the paperwork before you pay.
Check one Telford and Wrekin wrinkle before you order. A like-for-like swap on an ordinary house normally needs no permission, but conservation areas including Wellington's historic centre, the Severn Gorge and Horsehay and Spring Village may need permission for works that would otherwise pass — the council points residents to the Planning Portal or its pre-application advice service [13]. In the Ironbridge Gorge an Article 4 direction means an external door fronting a highway, waterway or open space needs permission to replace [14]. A listed building needs listed building consent for a door affecting its special interest, and doing the work without it is a criminal offence [15].
Telford's mix shapes the survey. The new town grew from the Dawley designation and took the Telford name, weaving estates around Wellington's market town and former coalfield townships such as Madeley, with urban extensions adding homes around places such as Lawley [12]. Tell the surveyor if the drive is short, the garage joins the house or access runs down a narrow lane, since each pushes the choice of door and the fitting work.
A typical job runs in five stages. First contact: opening width, door type, fault, postcode and a photo. Survey: measuring, lintel and frame checks, headroom or swing space, and power for a motor. Quote: a fixed figure on one scope. Fitting day: cleared garage and drive, old door away, new door fitted and balanced. Sign-off: test travel, reverse and release, collect the paperwork, then pay.
Keep one folder for the job: survey notes, every quote, the invoice and, for a powered door, both declarations, the manual and guarantee terms. The quote should split door, labour, electrics and VAT on one scope with dates, removal and payment stages; the handover set should prove compliance years later. Keep the folder until the guarantee ends — warranty claims go nowhere without it.
Pricing
As of autumn 2026, rough fitted ranges run like this: a single steel up-and-over door costs around £895, with most replacements between £895 and £2,500 for the door and £1,245 to £4,000 fitted including labour [4]. Single roller doors average about £1,075 and single sectional doors about £1,000, while a single electric door runs £1,500 to £2,500 [4]. Another current guide averages a replacement near £1,000 fitted, with up-and-over models at the lower end and roller and sectional higher [6].
Repairs cost far less: the average repair of any kind is £80, typically £40 to £120, with spring repairs averaging £75 [5]. A newer UK guide puts spring replacement at £120 to £250, motor replacement at £200 to £400 and remotes or sensors at £20 to £80 [7]. A replacement panel typically costs £200 to £750, while wiring faults sit higher at around £150 to £300 [4] [5].
Size moves the price most, with double doors costing substantially more than singles, then material, with timber dearer than steel, plus insulation, finish and electric operation [4]. Condition and access add up: a rotten frame, a failing lintel, awkward parking or taking the old door away all add labour, with fitting labour alone typically £350 to £650 [4]. Labour rates vary by region, with London and the South East dearer than Telford for the same job [5].
Ask whether VAT sits inside or on top of every figure, since published ranges usually exclude it [5]. Firms in this round publish almost no example rates, so treat any single fixed price for a replacement with no breakdown as a question, not an answer. Get the door specification, labour, removal of the old door, guarantee length and VAT position in writing before parts are ordered, and keep every quote, invoice and certificate together [9].
Adding a motor to a sound manual door is a job of its own. What moves that figure is the door's weight and balance, whether a power point sits nearby or a new supply must run in, and which safety devices the survey specifies [2]. Ask for motor, safety set and paperwork as separate quote lines.
A periodic service — springs, cables, rollers, alignment and the safety reverse on a powered door — suits a door past its first decade and costs less than any repair or replacement. The figure turns on access, door weight and how many worn parts need replacing there and then; agree whether the visit fee falls away if you accept a repair quote on the spot.
Red flags
Quotes a full replacement without measuring the opening or examining the frame and lintel.
Cannot name the door manufacturer behind a brand badge claimed on the site.
Fits a powered door and leaves no Declaration of Conformity, Declaration of Performance or manual [2].
Asks for full payment in cash before starting, with no written quote or terms.
Offers to replace a snapped spring sight unseen, with no questions about the door size or type.
Gives one fixed price for a replacement with no breakdown of door, labour and VAT.
Will not put the door specification, price and start date in writing before ordering parts.
Calls safety devices on a powered door optional extras instead of testing them at handover.
Gives only a mobile number and a first name, with no business address on the quote.
Turns up to fit and borrows your ladders, drills or fixings.
Corrections and business responses
Tell us what needs checking, or ask to claim a listing and reply to an assessment.